Dow has announced the launch of its first bio-attributed material for flooring applications. The elastomer is an addition to Dow’s Engage REN Polyolefin Elastomers (POE) product portfolio introduced in 2022.
The flooring innovation will be used to manufacture carpet tile backing to provide dimensional stability and adhesion support for fibres.
Dow produces the Engage portfolio of polyolefin elastomers using renewable energy and feedstocks such as used cooking oil. The US-based polymer producer applies its Ecolibrium technology to transform sustainably sourced waste and by-products from other industries into plastics.
“This innovation represents a crucial step toward expanding our circularity offerings into new markets,” said Joanna Giovanoli, senior marketing manager for Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business. “By supporting our flooring customers with bio-circular feedstock options that maintain high performance, we can give waste a new life, potentially reducing carbon footprints and reliance on fossil feedstocks. This is how we are moving Dow and our customers closer to shared sustainability goals.”
According to the materials supplier, the polymers deliver equivalent performance in the final application as fossil-fuel counterparts and do not require reformulation. Dow’s resins from bio-circular feedstocks are ISCC Plus-certified under a mass balance approach for chain of custody, the company added.
Dow has set targets to commercialise 3 million tonnes of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, and to enable 100% of its products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035.
Source: sustainableplastics.com
